CSX train derails outside Baltimore

15 freight cars derail causing explosion and building fires

May 28, 2013

Fire official say a CSX freight train crashed into a trash truck near Baltimore, causing an explosion that rattled homes at least a half-mile away and collapsed nearby buildings, setting them on fire.

Thick, black smoke emerged from the scene and was visible for miles. The smoke drifted across the Baltimore city line and covered the eastern part of the city. It was visible to motorists heading north on Interstate 95, through downtown Baltimore.

Baltimore County Fire Chief John J. Hohman said in an interview with WBAL-TV that Tuesday afternoon’s crash in White marsh caused 15 cars of the train to derail. Two on them fell on their sides.

Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz says the truck driver was in serious but stable condition at a hospital. The fire department tweeted that two CSX workers aboard weren’t injured. No other injuries were immediately reported.

The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team to the crash site to investigate.

In each of the past five years, CSX has reported more than 100 deaths in accidents and incidents involving the railroad.

The number of derailments on CSX’s network in the eastern United States has been declining steadily since 2008.